Process of making thick butt shingles



March 23, 1937. c. R. ECKERT 2,074,684

" PROCESS OF MAKING THICK BUTT SHINGLES Filed Nov. 25, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3; FJ 3- Y INVENTOR C/orewre ll. A c/fer 7 March 23, 1937. c, R ECKERT 7 2,074,684

PROCESS OF MAKING THICK BU' I'T SHINGLES Filed Nov. 25, 1931 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 t V/ F 76- :IE] GU15 INVENTOR f/ol encr )7. Enfer 7" I ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 23, 1937 PROCESS OF 1: r

Application November 25, 1931, Serial No. 577,193

6 @llaims.

This invention relates to flexible composition shingles and processes of making same, and more particularly, to thick butt strip shingles of the felt base type, coated with waterproofing material, surfaced with granular material, and having the tab portions provided with an additional coating of waterproofing material, and a facing of granular material.

(we object of this invention is to provide la durable thick butt shingle of attractive appearance which may be laid with other like shingles in overlapping courses to impart to the roof or other surface to which they are applied an irregular or hand-made effect. Another object is to provide an efilcient and economical process of making such shingles. Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation, somewhat diagrammatic in .character, indicating the steps involved in the formation of the thick butt shingle of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a coated o5 and surfaced felt base, prior to the cutting thereof into strip shingles;

sur-

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a thick butt shingle and illustrates a preferred embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through a tab portion of the shingle of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a number of shingles arranged in abutting relationship and in overlapping courses;

i Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modifledform of thick butt shingle of this invention;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through a tab portion of the shingle of Fig. 6; l

- Fig. 8 is a plan view of another modified form of this invention;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section through a tab portion of the shingle of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 shows a side elevation of the coating roll employed in applying the waterproofing material to form the thick butt shingle of Fig. 3;

Fig. 11 illustrates, in side elevation, the form of coating roll used to apply the waterproofing material in the formation of the shingles of Fig. 13;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of a coated and surfaced felt base prior to the cutting thereof and shows another form of thick butt single embodying this invention; and

Fig. 13 is a plan view of two thick butt singles embodying the principles of this invention, the

shingles being arranged butt-to-butt and moved apart from the position shown in Fig. 12.

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral i (Fi 1) indicates the usual felt base made of rag fiber, paper stock, or other fibrous material and thereafter saturated with bituminous material, as is well known in the art. The saturated felt base i is passed between the coating rolls 2, 3, the latter of which rotates in a coating bath t containing asphalt or other bituminous material. Waterproofing material may. also be fed to the coating roller 2, or other form of coating apparatus might be used to coat both sides of the felt base. The coated base passes over guide roll 5, bringing the cementitious coated side under hopper 6 containing granular material, such. as crushed slate, rock or other surfacing material. The granular material from hopper 6 is showered by means of the usual distributing roll i onto the coated felt base, completely covering the coating.

The thus surfaced base is then passed about roll 8 which serves to partially embed the granular material in the base. The surfaced base then passes under hopper ll which applies anti-stick material, such as mica dust, to the rear side, rendering this side non-cementitious. In the continued passage of the base i about rolls 8 and t, excess surfacing material falls off therefrom respectively into the hoppers t, and 9, whence the surfacing material was delivered to the base i. The sheet then passes over the drying rolls ill to i5 and from the roll i5 is passed between the pull rolls it, it, which may be suitably driven, the pull rolls it rotating at a slightly greater peripheral speedthan the rolls ii to provide a.

slack of material between the rolls it and ill.

From the rolls ill, the coated and surfaced strip is fed to a coating appliance indicated generally by the reference numeral it.

Coating device l8 may consist of a tank it, having rotatably mounted therein a coating roll it of special construction. This roll is designed to apply coating material, such as asphalt or other bituminous waterproofing composition to selected spaced areas of the felt base. The size and shape of the selected areas may be varied to produce shingles having tabs or individual shingle-simulating portions of various shapes and of different lengths and/or widths. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. l0.'a coating roll having series of spaced platen portions 22 isemployed. The platen portions 22 are disposed in parallel rows which run both longitudinally and circumferentially of the roll.

The individual platens 22 in each circumferential row, indicated by the reference numeral 23, are preferably identical in shape. The individual platens in each longitudinal row, indicated by 5 the reference numerals 24, are of different widths, of the same length, and are spaced different distances apart. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, intermediate platen 25 is the widest, platens 26, adjacent to platen 25, are of materially less width than platen 25. The left hand end platen 21 is of somewhat less width than the platen 26 adjacent thereto and the right hand end platen 21 is of somewhat greater width than the platen 26 adjacent thereto. Passage of the surfaced sheet over the coating roll shown in Fig. 10 results in application of the waterproofing material on selected spaced areas ar ranged .in transverse rows 28 of the sheet, as indicated in Fig.2, the individual areas of each row being of the same length but of different.

widths, and spaced different distances apart.

If it is desired to produce a shingle such as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, a form of coating roll such as depicted in Fig. 11 is employed. This roll involves two sets of platens arranged longitudinally of the axis of the roll, the sets being diametrically opposite each other. Each set comprises individual platens 3l, 32, 33, 34, of the shape shown and separated by slots which may 30 be of the same or different widths. Application of the coating material by means of the coating roll of Fig. 11 results in the formation of parallel transverse spaced bands of coating material on the sheet as shown on Fig. 12, each band being composed of spaced selected areas of the peculiar shape shown in Fig. 12.

From the coating appliance l8, the coated sheet passes over roll' 36 and is thus reversed to bring the additionally coated portion under the 40 hopper 31. Granular material, such as crushed slate, preferably of a color contrasting with the color of the granular material in hopper 6 is supplied to hopper 31. If it is desired to make adjacent tab portions of the shingle of different colors, partitions may be inserted in hopper 31 and diiferent colored granular material supplied to the different compartments of the hopper. Granular material is showered from hopper 31 by means of the usual distributing roll 38 onto the coated sheet below. The granular material adheres only to the cementitious coated portions and does not adhere to the portions of the base between the transverse coated stripes or to the H uncoated portions between the selected coated areas constituting the transverse coated bands or stripes. From the surfacing hopper 31, the sheet having the granular material thereon passes around roll 39, which functions to partially embed the granular material in the coated por- 60 tions.

. From roll 39 the sheet passes over reversing roll 4|. The surfaced sheet in its passage about roll 4! causes the excess granules to fall from the sheet back into the hopper 31. The sheet then passes over drying rolls 42, 43, 44, and 45, and thence to the cutting rolls 46, where it is cut into shingle elements.

In the form of invention shown in Fig. 2, the 7 base! having transverse rows 28 may be cut on a line intersecting the forward edge of the transverse bands, as indicated by the reference numeral 53. The shingle shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is thus formed. This shingle is composed of a felt 75 base 54, provided with a seal back coating rendered non-cementitious by the application of mica dust 56 thereto. The face of the element is substantially completely covered by coating 51, which is surfaced with granular material 58. A second coating 59 covers spaced selected areas of the portion of surfacing 58 intended to be exposed, leaving uncoated tab-defining depressions or slots 6| between these areas. As shown in Fig. 3, the spaced selected areas differ in width and are separated by slots of different widths. A second surfacing 62 of granular material is partially embedded in the coating 59.

In lieu of cutting along the line 53, the base of Fig. 2 may be out along lines 65, which are spaced a slight distance from one transverse edge of the transverse bands 28. The shingle element shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is thus produced. This element differs from that of Figs. 3 and 4 in that it has along the upper edge a narrow elevated or thickened portion 66. This thickened portion is composed of an overlay coating 61 covering the surfacing 5l and a surfacing of granular material 68 partially embedded in coat ing 61. The upper thickened edge 66 is of substantially the same thickness as the forward tab edge of the element and cooperates therewith to provide a horizontal plane support for the overlying portion of the overlapping element.

The base of Fig. 2 may be cut transversely along lines indicated by the reference numeral 69 to formthe strip shingle shown in Figs. 8 and 9. This differs from that of Fig. 3 in that it has, at the forward thickened edge, an integral thin portion H whichds disposed the full length of the element. The portion II, when the elements are laid in overlapping courses, accentuates the thickness of the thickened portion-of the element .to the observer.

Employing the coating roll of Fig. 11 results in the formation of rows 35 composed of selected spaced areas, each having a double coating and surfacing alternating with transverse portions 12 composed of the felt base having a single coating and surfacing thereon. As indicated in Fig. 12, the coated and surfaced base may be cut transversely along lines 13, intersecting the base substantially midway between the thickened portions to form the upper thin end 14 of the elements. The base is also cut transverselyalong staggered lines 15' to form thickened tabs of different lengths. The differences in the lengths of the tabs are such that,-as indicated in Fig. 13,

the elements may be placed tab-to-tab, with the forward edge of the longest tab of one shingle I abutting against the forward edge of the shortest tab of another like shingle, the forward edges of the other tabs of the two shingle strips also abut. If desired, the base material between the tabs may be removed so that the tabs of different lengths and widths are separated by slots 16.

The shingles are preferably arranged in overlapping courses as shown in Fig. 5. The eleinents of each course may be laid in abutting relation or in slightly spaced relation so as to form a slot between contiguous shingles. The overlying course of elements is preferably laid with the forward edges 18 overlapping the upper edge 19 of the thickened portion of the underlying elements. Hence, the forward thickened edge of each element is exposed to view and the shingle imparts to the observer an appearance of thick ness and solidity.

It will be noted that the shingle of this invention involves no waste in its manufacture. Further, a. simple transverse cutting knife only is necessary to produce the same, and while it resembles in appearance the usual strip shingle having tabs separated by slots, slot cutting knives and mechanism for removing the material cut out to form the slots are not necessary for the manufacture of this shingle. Owing to the differences in shape and dimensions of the exposed selected areas of each element, the shingle of this invention avoids the drab and monotonous appearance of existing strip shingles and imparts a variegated, hand-made, or thatched effect to roofs or other surfaces to which they are applied.

As an alternative method, I may omit the first mineral surfacing operation carried out with the hopper 6 and distributing roll I, surfacing with grit only the limited thick 'areas resulting from the operation of the roll 2| by means of hopper 31 and distributing roll 38. If I operate in this manner, I find it advantageous to coat the upper surface of the web leaving roll 5 with an antisticking material such as a film of soap solution, which will prevent the sheet from sticking to the rolls, but will not prevent the'asphalt pads of roll 2| from applying asphalt to the sheet in spaced selected areas. The exposed tab portion of shingles made by this alternative process have substantially the same appearance as those previously described, but the shingles lack the surfacing 58 having in lieu thereof a coating of antistick or non-cementitious material.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it will be understood that this invention is not confined to the forms disclosed but may be variously embodied within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A process of making thick butt shingles which comprises coating substantially the entire surface of an unslotted flexible base with water proofing material, applying an additional coating of waterproofing material to the coated base, said additional coating being applied in spaced transverse bands, each band consisting of spaced areas simulating individual shingles, separated by poring. additional coatingof waterproofing material to said non-cementitious coating, said additional coating being applied in spaced transverse bands, each band consisting of spaced areas simulating individual shingles, separated by portions of said non-cementitious coating left uncovered by said additional coating, and cutting the base transversely to form thick butt shingles.

lines intersecting said selected spaced areas to form thick butt strip shingles.

- 4. A process of making thick butt shingles which comprises coating sugstantially the entire surface of a flexible base with waterproofing material, partially embedding granular material in said coating, applying an additional coating of waterproofing material to the partially embedded granular material, said additional coating material being applied in spaced transverse bands, each band consisting of spaced areas simulating individual shingles, partially embedding additional granular material in said additional coating, and cutting the base transversely along lines coinciding with one transverse edge of each of said transverse bands to form thick butt shingles.

5. A process of making thick butt shingles which comprises coating substantially the entire surface of a flexible base with waterproofing material, applying an additional coating of waterproofing material to the coated base, said additional coating being applied in spaced transverse bands, each band consisting of spaced areas simulating individual shingles, and cutting the base transversely along lines substantially midway between said bands and along staggered lines intersecting the said transverse bands to form thick butt shingles having tabs of diiferent lengths.

6. A process of making thick butt shingles which comprises coating substantially the entire surface of a flexible base with waterproofing material, partially embedding granular material in said coating, applying an additional coating of waterproofing material to the partially embedded granular material, said additional coating material being applied in spaced transverse bands, each band consisting of spaced areas simulating individual shingles, partially embedding additional granular material in said additional coating, and cutting the base transversely along lines intersecting the thin portion I of the base, spaced somewhat from one'transverse edge of said transverse bands to form thick butt shingles having anintegral base portion 

